I wanted to love this place. I think it's quite hard to mess up brunch items and the meal I had at Starving Artist wasn't terrible but it wasn't amazing either. I had read so many rave reviews about this place and was somewhat let down during my visit. I ordered the "Waffle Benny" (carmelized bacon on waffles with hollandaise) with a side of salad greens and fruit. The wait for our food wasn't super long and the place was busy for a weekday afternoon. However, the water jug and glasses seemed a little dirty and could have been cleaned better.
When the food arrived, it looked great. Brunch is definitely the most "photogenic meal" and as legend dictates, if you don't stop to Instagram your meal, did you really eat it? Anyways, back to the meal, the hollandaise wasn't broken and had a great consistency while the eggs had the most magically round shape. The waffles tasted like your standard Eggo waffle which was the biggest disappointment. I didn't expect to like the carmelized bacon but it was great. The side salad was standard and something quickly thrown together while the fruit looked old and tasted over ripe. My dining companion ordered the smoked salmon benny which she enjoyed. Our meals came up to about $12-$13 per person which I thought was fair though I probably would've given one more star if they were lower.
The main reason I gave Starving Artist a 3 star review was that I don't understand the hype with this place. Their waffle tasted like a store bought mix and their potato salad is definitely from a store-bought tub. It was a good meal but not special.